Charlie
by Mettespo
Summary: Charlotte is getting older and starting to ask questions & other scenes from her life with Mac and Will parenting
1. Chapter 1

**Charlie**

Mac was brooding over the new ratings report that had just come in when the door to her office swung open.

„Mummy!"

Her six year old daughter was storming into the room and threw herself into her mother's arms, who, knowing what to expect, had turned her chair just in time and opened her arms

„Hi, Sweetheart. How was school?" After pressing a gentle kiss to her temple Mac threw a questioning look to the door. It wasn't unusual for Charlie to drop by at work, but also not a regular thing. „Hello, Sarah, is everything alright?"

The trusted nanny answered with a nod and a comforting smile. „Everything is fine, Mrs. McAvoy, but Charlie has something she would like to talk to you about. She is a little upset, so I thought we'd come by. I'll leave you two alone."

When Mac returned her smile and nodded in agreement Sara left and closed the door behind her. Focusing her attention on her daughter, who was sitting on her lap now with her legs left and right of her hips, her arms wrapped around her mother's neck and her face pressed into her, she held her closer for one short moment before releasing her grip to give her little girl the chance to talk.

When nothing happened, though, Mac softly let her hand ran up and down her back. „What is it, Charlie?"

Immediately she felt her daughter stiffen in her arms and now she was starting to worry just a little bit. „Hey, what's the matter, Honey? Are you okay?"

After a short moment she heard her daughter's voice, a little shaky but not tearful, which relieved Mac in an instant. „Bobby made fun of me today because I have a boy's name."

Almost letting out a relieved laugh Mac managed to hold it back in time. She knew that her daughter was at a sensible age, and with starting school recently the need to fit in had become much more important than it had been in pre-school. „You don't have a boy's name, Charlie. You know that your full name is Charlotte, don't you?"

The little girl nodded against her shoulder. „But you call me _Charlie_."

„Yes, we do, Honey. Charlie can be a nickname for either a boy or a girl. Just like my name - It's MacKenzie, but everyone calls me Mac, both are either a boy's or girl's name. But if you want us to we will stop calling you Charlie. However, before you decide I would like to tell you something about another Charlie, okay?"

Feeling her daughter nod again she took a deep breath. „Charlie was your daddy's and my best friend. You know, before Daddy and I got married there was a time where we didn't get along very well and we weren't talking to each other anymore. Charlie was also Daddy's boss, this room here was actually his office back then, and he came looking for me. He brought me back to New York to work here with your father."

Finally Charlie Jr. lifted her head and curiously looked at her mother. „And then?"

Smiling her mother gave her a kiss. „And then? It took us a while, but Daddy and I made up, and we got married and then we had you. You know, I am very sure that without the other Charlie you would not be here today, and that would be terrible, wouldn't it?

Charlie nodded again, her eyes big and her whole face a question mark. „Where would I be then?"

„I don't know, Princess, maybe you would never have been born. But that is not the point. The point is that you _are_ here and that we all love you very, very much. So we are incredibly grateful to Charlie, because your Daddy and I wouldn't want to live without you."

Mac cursed herself a little that they had never talked to their daughter about her namesake before. Sure, Charlie Skinner's name had often been mentioned during their everyday conversations, but, thinking that their daughter was still too young, they had never explicitely told her why she was named after him.

„Where is Charlie now?"

Mac smiled to herself. Of course her daughter would ask that question; being the child of two first class journalists she had been born with an investigative gene that sometimes even seemed to top her parent's combined genomes.

„Before you were born Charlie got very sick and he is in heaven now. But I am sure that he would be very proud to know that you are named after him."

Little Charlie snuggled back into her mother's chest and Mac softly ran her fingers through her hair, thinking about her friend as she still so often did. After a moment she heard her daughter ask „Tell me more about Charlie?"

„Of course..." Mac hugged her little girl tighter. „Charlie was married to Aunt Nancy and he is Sophie's daddy. He was an unbelievably kind man, but he could also swear like a drunken sailor if he didn't like something. He was a wonderful friend, loyal to a T, smart, helpful, and funny and sometimes a little tricky. And he always wanted to do better and do the right thing." A tear made it's way into Mac's eye at the memories and she pressed a kiss into Charlie's hair. „If he believed in something that's what he was going for and he would fight for it, even if not always successfully. He was a very special man and you can be proud when people call you Charlie, you know."

Carefully leaning forward in her chair Mac struggled a little but managed to get up while keeping Charlie in her arms and moved over to a shelf on the other side of the room where some photographs were lined up. „Look here, Sweety, this is Big Charlie."

Little Charlie's eyes followed her mother's finger that pointed at a picure of Charlie and Will with Mac in their middle. It had been taken at the office Christmas party in 2012, almost two months after Will had proposed, and they all beamed into the camera. After a moment of just looking at the picture Mac carefully asked „So, would you like us to call you Charlotte from now on?"

After a moment of biting her lip, a habit she had either inherited or copied from her mother, the little girl started to vigorously shake her head, her voice proud. „I am Charlie"

Mac laughed happily. „Yes, you are, and that name is just _perfect_ for you!"

Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial level she then whispered. „And by the way... Do you know what Bobby's real name is?"

Charlie shook her head expectantly.

„It's Robert. So Bobby is not the most logical nickname, is it? It should rather be Robby or... maybe Bertie, don't you think?"

Now Charlie grinned and nodded. „I tell him that next time he makes fun of me."

„You do that, Honey, but nicely, okay? So, what do you say – Do you have time to go get some ice cream with me? You came just in time for me to take a little break."

Her eyes lighting up Charlie nodded emphatically. „Can Daddy come, too?"

„Let's ride downstairs and see if he has a few minutes. But you actually have to walk, Honey, you are getting to heavy for me to carry you all the way." Letting her daughter slide down from her hip until she was standing on her own, she then took her little hand in hers and they left the office for where Sarah was waiting for them to make their way to the elevators.

Thank God it was Friday and Charlie would be allowed to stay up a little longer. „And tonight Daddy can tell you some more stories about Big Charlie, okay?"


	2. Chapter 2

„Charlie, come on!" Mac sounded exhausted. „Daddy and I _have to_ go to the PTA meeting. I've told you that Sarah can't come tonight and neither can Jim and Maggie or any of the others. It's really nice of Bobby's parents to offer that you can stay at their place."

„But I don't want to!" Charlie pouted and kicked against the back of the couch she was splayed out on.

„Why not? You'll have a good time; they said you can watch the new Cars 8 on Netflix. You love those movies!"

„But I hate Bobby!" The couch got another kick it defintiely didn't deserve, and Charlie defiantly crossed her arms. _„Daddy?"_

Will had just entered the room and threw a cautious look at his wife. „Honey?"

Mac sighed. „She still doesn't want to go… Charlie, we can't leave you here all on your own."

„Why not? I'll be good, I promise!"

„I know, Honey, but still. You're only nine years old."

„So what?" Charlie's expression turned to pleading, knowing full-well that her father could hardly ever deny her anything. This time, though, he absolutely sided with his wife.

„That's just the way it is, Princess, you are too young, I'm sorry."

„Then why can't I stay with Ashley?" Charlie didn't give up, her stubborness being a trait both of her parents had passed on to her. „Or Aunt Nancy?"

„Because Aunt Nancy is visting Sophie in L.A., and Ashley lives on the other side of town. You _know_ that."

After almost an hour of debating Mac was finally losing her patience. „Charlotte Katherine McKenzie McAvoy, you will stop this right now. You are going to watch a movie, eat tons of ice cream and you won't even have to talk to Bobby. Go, get your coat!"

Giving her mother a sulky look Charlie got up and ran to her room, not without screaming „I hate you!" on the way.

„No, you don't" Mac called after her and sighed. Sometimes their strong-willed daughter's temper was a real challenge, and she really wasn't looking forward to the time when she would hit puberty… When she turned to Will and saw the worried look on his face she quietly laughed. „She _doesn't_ hate us, Billy."

„How do you know? She doesn't want..."

Mac interrupted him. „You don't get it, do you?"

„What's your point? We can be glad if she won't have any bruises or gum in her hair when we'll pick her up again."

„The point is that she _likes_ Bobby..."

Will frowned. „Whatever gave you that idea?"

„Because she behaves just like I did, when I had my first crush in second grade."

„Oh?" He grinned and stepped in front of her, placing his hands on her hips. „Tell me more."

„You won't get jealous, will you?" Mac bashfully looked at him, pretending to be concerned, and used the opportunity to straighten his tie.

„I will manage… barely." Will's reply was dry and he moved his thumbs in gentle circles.

„Alright. His name was Philip Carmichael. Like any boy that age he thought that girls are stupid, and he kept throwing his pencils and rubbers at me. So after a while I pretended to hate him and daydream about him from afar." She sighed exaggeratedly, but when Will cocked one eyebrow she slapped his chest. _„Erasers"_

Grinning Will placed a tender kiss on her lips. „I kind of feel sorry for the chap; he doesn't know what he missed out on." He checked his wristwatch. „Don't we have to go?"

„Charlie! We're waiting!" Mac yelled in the direction of their daughter's room and took Will's hand to pull him towards the front door.

„So..." Will curiously returned to their original topic. „How long is this going to last? This pretending game."

Mac shrugged. „Who knows, she's only nine. I liked Philip all through elementary school until well into junior high… You know, unanswered love...

„Oh God..." Will groaned and rolled his eyes. „I'm too old for this..."

She grinned. „Just wait until she goes on her first date..."

„Don't even joke about that!"


End file.
